United States AttorneyDistrict of South Dakota

Lower Brule Man Sentenced for Possession of Firearm by a Prohibited Person

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on June 16, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Caleb Mills, age 25, was sentenced to 17 months in custody, 2 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He also forfeited $350 and a firearm.
Mills was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 15, 2013, for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance Analogue, Use of a Communication Facility in Causing or Facilitating the Commission of a Felony under the Controlled Substances Act, and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. He pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person on March 4, 2014.

The conviction arose from a January 2013 incident when Mills was arrested for driving without a license. In his vehicle, Mills had a FedEx package addressed to him with a return address from a company that law enforcement recognized as a distributor of synthetic marijuana. Mills consented to a search of the package and law enforcement discovered that the package contained a controlled substance analogue. The defendant also consented to a search of his residence that resulted in the discovery of controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, and a .44 magnum revolver. Mills is an unlawful user of controlled substances, and the firearm was in his possession and had been shipped in interstate commerce.

The investigation was conducted by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller.

Mills was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service to begin serving his sentence.